Times columnist diagnoses pols' gridlock in D.C.

New York Times columnist David Brooks visits with guests including school president Dr. Stuart Dorsey and his wife Michelle Dorsey (left) before a speaking engagement at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on September 19, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

New York Times columnist David Brooks visits with guests including school president Dr. Stuart Dorsey and his wife Michelle Dorsey (left) before a speaking engagement at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on September 19, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

New York Times columnist David Brooks visits with guests including school president Dr. Stuart Dorsey and his wife Michelle Dorsey (left) before a speaking engagement at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on September 19, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

New York Times columnist David Brooks visits faculty member Shaaron Conoly at a reception before his speaking engagement at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on September 19, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

New York Times columnist David Brooks visits faculty member Shaaron Conoly at a reception before his speaking engagement at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on September 19, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

New York Times columnist David Brooks chats with Rick Roberts, VP Development and Alumni Relations, and Debbie Cottrell, VP Academic Affairs, at reception before his speaking engagement at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on September 19, 2013.

Photo By TOM REEL

New York Times columnist David Brooks visits Texas Lutheran University in Seguin on September 19, 2013.

SEGUIN — Political and social commentator David Brooks thinks he knows what's wrong with politics in Washington.

Politicians stuck in gridlock are taking a cue from a culture that has moved from self-

In an interview before the lecture, Brooks said the individualistic culture has made it harder to form coalitions.

Rather than embracing commencement clichés such as “follow your passion” or “be true to yourself,” he told students another concept may be more important, though less understood now.

“It started with a word we sort of lost track of that we associate more with fattening desserts,” he said. “It's the word sin.”

Before the lecture, he said religious institutions, such as Texas Lutheran, haven't lost the moral vocabulary that secular institutions have.

During the talk, he said the culture over the past few generations has become one that doesn't just accept morality but comes up with its own.

“That's fine if your name is Aristotle,” he said. “If your name is not Aristotle, that's going to be a problem because it's really hard to do.”

Brooks told the crowd about hearing a rebroadcast of a radio show that originally aired the day after the Japanese surrendered in World War II that effused a tone of humility at a time when they could have celebrated differently.

He later added that there may have been some good reasons for moving toward a more narcissistic culture after WWII, adding that perhaps women and minorities needed a self-esteem boost to overcome earlier injustices.

But he said people of that era believed pride is the central vice, because it blinds people to their weaknesses.

Brooks jabbed at the tendencies of both Democrats and Republicans, saying President Barack Obama is “probably the most self-confident human being I've ever met.” He added that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is likely the least-popular senator because he's “running against the leadership of the party” rather than building a coalition.

Brooks left the audience on a positive note, saying the country has long fluctuated between periods of high morality and high materialism — culture can shift back.